FRESH NEW! Publication Uterus Effects

The publication Uterus Effects is an experimental feminist endeavor aimed at identifying and analyzing the social, political, and cultural interpretation of the reproductive system organs’ functions (maternity), and dysfunctions (diseases) of the organs of the reproductive system. Given that there is a lack of public discourse, and insufficient attention is paid to a woman* in her late pregnancy, after childbirth, or during the recovery from cancer surgery or other diseases of reproductive organs, this publication has aspired to provide the necessary space for all those who wanted to share their own experience, or reﬂections on this topic. An important aspect of thinking about this topic is the context of art, and art as a potential therapeutic agent for the faster psycho-physical recovery. Therefore, the publication is the sum of analytical texts, “free” (artistic) forms and illustrations, which represent the relationship between art and maternity/motherhood, or reproductive system diseases.

The publication was made through an open call, where all submitted works were included with the minimal proofreading and design intervention.

The content is divided into three parts: the frst part covers analytical texts which, from different theoretical and methodological approaches, interpret topics such as motherhood dysfunctionality seen in the artist Tabita Rezaire’s work titled Sugar Walls Teardom (by Giulia Guaran), the maternal aspect of Virgin Mary (by Jovana Pikulić), and the art therapy as a way of dealing with trauma (by Ivana Mančić). The second part collects the works created in “free” form, where we can read about maternity ward (negative) experiences in the form of a diary segment, by Petja Grafenauer, and in the form of letters by Jelena Milojević. This part is also embellished with a “documentary drama” and translation of the Käthe Leichter questionnaire (placed at the end of the book) by Jelena Micić. In the third part of the publication, the reader will find the illustrations and brief explanations of the works, by the artists themselves: Dženana Pindžo-Mekić, Flora Lu, Jana Adamović, Jelena Cvetković, Kathleen Day, Laura Mahnke, Marija Janković, Mia Arsenijević, Milena Gajić, Nina Babić, Sanja Umičević, Saša Bezjak, Tatjana Hardikov, Vladislava Savić and Željka Aleksić.